Summary: Well priced kit with most essentials
Price: £28
Value:
Performance:

Designed for adventure sports particularly those involving water Swift wrap elastic bandage with Velcro closure Moleskin dressing for preventing and treating blisters Trauma pad and compression bandage for bleeding Medication for diarrhoea, inflammation, allergic reactions, bee stings and insect bites Wound irrigation system to clean and close wounds

It seems a little strange reviewing something that I would hope to never use, a bit like an avalanche transceiver or the safety rope on an abseil. Inevitably though we will all need a first aid kit at some point and of course it is more often than not mandatory kit in an adventure race. Besides the obligation to carry it during a race it is common sense to carry one whenever out on the hills and Adventure Medical Kits are designed specifically for that purpose.

Adventure Medical Kits have been designed by an Emergency room doctor and active outdoorsman. They are used by some of the top AR teams in the world and come in a range of sizes for every length of race from sprint to expedition.

The Ultralight 0.7 (it’s weight in ounces) is designed as a bare minimum “ultra lightweight” first aid kit for 2 people for trips of up to 4 days. However, this could easily be stretched to fit use in a team expedition race and its light enough that it would be fine to carry on an Open 24 or Rat Race.

The kit is contained within two inner bags featuring a ‘leak proof, waterproof and airtight seal’, which I found did not always seal 100% without a lot of fiddling and I could not ever trust the seal to remain closed, despite claims to be tested and approved by the US Navy; I kept it inside another dry bag just in case.

With no standard first aid kit for adventure races, I had to tailor it for every race, adding and removing items as determined by rules and common sense. The current version in the shops seems to have an altered content list to the test kit so it is worth double checking the contents match your requirements. The U.S. version of this kit comes with ibuprofen, antihistamine, and antibiotics but not in the U.K. You will probably want to bolster the contents with some pain relief medication, more effective blister protection materials, and Loperamide as determined by your race’s mandatory kit list or your own sensibilities.

Most racers’ first aid kits are cobbled together from bits and pieces acquired over time, but if you are starting from scratch or want to be sure your adhesive dressings are still sticky and sterile when you need them, then it is worth checking out the AMK Ultralight range. They produce the 0.3 and 0.9 kits with less or more contents depending on your group size and trip length. The 0.9 kit has been popular with teams competing in Primal Quest, Raid Gauloises and Eco Challenges and contains a few extra items sure to be needed on an expedition race at some point.

The most important piece of medical kit you could have with you in a race is knowledge and Adventure Medical Kits acknowledge the necessity of sound advice by publishing a free ebook called ‘A Comprehensive Guide to Wilderness and Travel Medicine’ which you can download here: http://www.adventuremedicalkits.com/documents/Comprehenive%20Guide%20Wilderness.pdf

The AMK Ultralight and Waterproof 0.7 kit currently contains the following items:

Bandage Materials
2 Dressing, Gauze, Sterile, 3″ x 3″, Pkg./2
2 Dressing, Gauze, Sterile, 2″ x 2″, Pkg./2
3 Bandage, Butterfly Closure
1 Bandage, Conforming Gauze, 3″
4 Bandage, Adhesive, Fabric, 1″ x 3″
2 Dressing, Non-Adherent, Sterile, 3″ x 4″
3 Bandage, Adhesive, Fabric, Knuckle

Bleeding
1 Gloves, Nitrile (Pair), Hand Wipe

Blister / Burn
11 Moleskin, Pre-Cut & Shaped

Duct Tape
1 Duct Tape, 2″ x 100″

Fracture / Sprain
1 Bandage, Elastic with Velcro, 2″

Instrument
1 Splinter Picker/Tick Remover Forceps
3 Safety Pins

Medication
2 After Bite Wipe

Other
2 Aloksak Waterproof Bag, 6.75″ X 6″

Wound Care
1 Tape, 1″ x 10 Yards
1 Tincture of Benzoin Topical Adhesive,

Vial
5 After Cuts & Scrapes Anaesthetic/Antiseptic Wipe

For more details please visit: http://www.adventuremedicalkits.com

Summary: Comfortable and durable, about all you need in a sock
Price: £12
Value:
Performance:
Ankle sock with targeted impact padding and ventilation areas, T2 anti-compression loop, Mesh surround areas, WoolFusion fibres. 41% polyamide, 29% merino wool, 29% polypropylene, 1% Lycra.

As part of their Fast and Light range, Bridgedale’s X-Hale Trailhead sock is designed to be worn with lighter, more breathable footwear in warmer conditions and during high intensity activity. Essentially they are designed to be worn with lighter, lower height footwear like trail running shoes and for adventure racing type activities.

It can be hard to get too excited about socks; most people just find ones that work without giving blisters and swear by them. Getting geeky about bikes and kayaks seems to be acceptable but talking about socks in extreme detail can raise a few eyebrows!

Well, I’m going to have a go…I have been a long time fan of merino wool socks and have not used synthetic socks for years, so when these arrived I was sceptical that they would win me over, but reading the materials list I was surprised to see they contain 27% merino wool. Merino wool is great for keeping you warm when it is cool out, cool when it is warm out and has the supreme talent of being naturally anti-bacterial so does not allow bacteria to breed, hence merino fibres do not get smelly. Merino though is not that durable when it comes to high friction applications like socks, so the main construction is from a nylon and polypropylene mix with Lycra to give it all a nice snug fit.

The Trailhead has ‘T2’ dual cushioned thick loops in the heel and ball of the foot, the areas where you need it most, and has a thinner more ventilated layup in areas where you do not need the cushioning. After a year of near daily use the cushioned sections are not quite as sprightly as they used to be, but still do the job and are standing up far better than my other merino socks – the strength of the nylon gives them durability, though they do get a bit smellier than socks with a higher merino content.

I have used these for epic runs and expedition races and cannot really remember much in the way of blisters, so that is a tick in that box. They kept my feet mostly cool and they are still going strong after a hard year so double tick there. The price is maybe a little steep at £12 but you can find them cheaper if you shop around and bearing in mind the weaving technology involved in making them and the durability, then it is probably a fair price really.

For more details please visit: http://www.bridgedale.com

Latest review for Sleepmonsters.co.uk

Summary: Updated classic water bottle but not ideal for adventure racing Price: £15 Value: Performance: Iconic design Light Tough Leakproof

Sigg have been producing bottles for 101 years and if you have been a regular ACE racer over the past 10 years this is probably also how many SIGG bottles you have stashed away under the stairs. The familiar, Swiss made, aluminium bottle available in 1000s of different designs has been a favourite with hikers and climbers for years because of its durability, lightweight and leakproof structure. It is made from a single piece of aluminium and as such is 100% recyclable. To protect the contents from aluminium contamination, it features a patented elastic polymer lining that passes all relevant FDA standards, and prevents the flavour of your drink from being tainted. In my experience it does tend to keep water tasting as it should do, when compared to water stored in typical plastic sports water bottles. Sigg also claim that it is taste-neutral with fruit acids and isotonic drinks but I have not tried this myself. The elastic coating means that if the bottle is dropped and dented the inner will not peel off and for many the dents on their Sigg each tell a story of a particular adventure. For me they are annoying and the ease with which the outer scratches, means it looks tatty in no time. For sports use Sigg have developed the sports bottle top with a handy flip over lid to keep the nozzle crud free, however, taking a drink still involves unscrewing the lid slightly then sucking through a nozzle, not quite as simple as a regular bottle that can be opened with your teeth. The fact that the bottle itself is made of solid metal means you can’t squeeze it to get the liquid out quicker, you just have to suck harder, so it is not ideal for high intensity activities. I find the bottle diameter a bit narrow for most bike bottle cages and it easily falls out on a rough downhills. A cage that is tight enough to hold it in will probably scratch the paint off when you put it in and out. Siggs have many fans because of their durability and quality feel. They also do a reasonable job of keeping drinks cool in the heat, but you can’t put in hot liquids as they will damage the internal coating. All in all, the Sigg is a classic piece of outdoor kit and now has increased ease of use with the sport’s top, but it is just not really suitable for adventure racing or high intensity activities.For more details please visit: http://www.sigg.com